


Potentiality

by WitchyGirl99 (Witchy99)



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, F/M, Good Omens AU, Historical Inaccuracy, but the world isn't ending (yet)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:42:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28316943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witchy99/pseuds/WitchyGirl99
Summary: Goodness, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Can’t you stand somewhere else?”“Why?”“We’re enemies. We shouldn’t be so close.”“Who’s gonna tell?”“I don’t know, somebody.” Kagome glanced up at the sky – clear and blue and oh-so sunny – and tried not to think about it in too much detail. Who, indeed.Kagome, an angel, is the hereditary enemy of Inuyasha, a demon. After knowing each other since The Beginning, the two of them have fought epic battles across the plains of earth. Like when Inuyasha left the dishes in the sink without washing them, or the time Kagome made him take care of all those cats (nowthathad been Hell). And let’s not forget when the two of them fought over what to do with a strange, magical, redheaded child on their doorstep.It may just be the beginning of the end of the world. They’ll do their best not to report to their head offices about it.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 26
Kudos: 83





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired primarily by Episode 3 of _Good Omens_ the TV show, but there are little Easter Eggs from both the books and show in here. To be clear, this is _not_ the plot of Good Omens rehashed, but a different story entirely.
> 
> An overwhelming amount of thanks goes to [AlerialBlu](https://alerialblu.tumblr.com/) for immediately doing art which basically made me sob more as I typed this bad boy up. And then [Wolfcry77](https://wolfcry77.tumblr.com/) did even more, and it just became me, this massive Word doc, art surrounding me and the sounds of scream-sobbing mixed with more typing. 
> 
> Lastly, to [SuperPixie42](/users/superpixie42/) for being just as excited as I was, and [LiaSango](/users/LiaSango/) for reading this ahead of time to remind me it's not just me that finds it amusing.

> _“Potentially evil. Potentially good, too, I suppose. Just this huge powerful **potentiality** waiting to be shaped.”_
> 
> Crowley in _Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnus Nutter, Witch_ by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

### ON A STREET SOMEWHERE, Year 2020

A child stood before a door.

He had vivid red hair and chubby cheeks. His eyes, sparkling like emeralds, took in his surroundings as he imagined adults did. It looked like an ordinary house. Neutral brick with a big black door. The lawn was meticulously cut, all perfectly even like someone had taken a ruler to every inch. A potted bouquet of flowers sat just outside the door. In the corner of a front window, a tiny fox statue sat. The number on the house was 1990, written in elegant cursive script. But it wasn’t how the place looked that made it important.

It was the feeling: the dreams of this very home that seemed to come from his soul, the whispers that said _look the other way, please and thank you_. Humans would have listened to those words without ever remembering they heard anything at all.

And he—Well, he was human but there was no other human quite like him.

The child smiled weakly, toddled up the porch to the front door, and knocked.

### SOMEWHERE ELSE ENTIRELY, Somewhere Only She Knew

Now that you’ve read the beginning and your curiosity has been piqued, let’s talk about The Beginning.

Quickly though, so as not to rehash old wounds.

There was a Garden, an apple, and there was Adam and Eve. Eve did a thing and then the whole Heavenly plan went down like a lead balloon. There was a lot of talk about it, about who was supposed to be on watch and who, exactly, let the two humans out. Eventually, as all things do, the blame was put on a single head: a serpent had been there – _a demon_ – ruining Her plan as per usual.

Kagome hadn’t been at the Garden, but she’d been given her orders some time later, a giant tomb of papers falling into her arms with finality. It would be her new duty to stay on earth and watch the humans. The stars and planets and nebulas were all fine and dandy, so her attentions were best put elsewhere. Keep the humans on the path to righteousness. Don’t let them wander astray. Spread the good word, and all that.

“We have heard whispers that Hell is sending a representative as well,” her manager claimed, not even looking at her while he signed some sort of clipboard. “Thwart them at every turn.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Her manager did look up at her then, and his gaze was all fiery steel and echoing hallways. “Fail and I will demote you.”

Kagome forced back a grimace and a gulp, and smiled. “Oh no, we don’t want that.”

* * *

But there’s another beginning, perhaps, that’s better. It doesn’t include a capital-B, but it does include a demon, an angel and a disagreement.

Considering Adam and Eve had escaped the Garden not that long ago – but then again, what _was_ ‘long ago’, really? – the beginnings of the human race were pretty expansive. There were hundreds of them, the majority children of varying ages. Some could barely walk while others played or helped their parents. Adam and Eve were nowhere to be found. Maybe they were hiding somewhere, or maybe…

Well, how long did humans live, anyways?

Kagome stood at one end of the field, pondering this while watching. A young child played with a stick, dragging it through the compact dirt before her. It babbled incessantly and she couldn’t help but smile down at the young one, pleased. Several paces away, a group of men and women were preparing food, unbothered by the wide spread of their offspring. It was all fine, she supposed; Kagome had enough anxiety for all of them.

“Bah!” the child cried, delighted at the invisible.

Kagome nodded her head. “That’s very sweet of you to say.”

The exclamation had caught the attention of yet another child, older and far more mobile. It ran to the young one, wonder on its face while it tried to decide what exactly was going on.

“Yes, familial bonding.” Kagome tried to keep a mental tally of all the good things the humans were doing, to report back to her superior. “That’s good.”

The older child sat down with the younger one and smiled.

The toddler gurgled happily, viciously hit the newcomer with the stick, and then burst into giggles.

“Oh no,” Kagome muttered, hands waving. How was she going to correct this? Usually the _adults_ were the problem. “Uh—”

“Heh, the kid’s got a good swing,” said a low, rumbling voice behind her.

Kagome sighed. “Really? Tarnishing the _children_?” she hissed, refusing to look at him. Looking at him was a no-go, an unwritten rule she wrote for herself upon coming to earth just ten cycles of the sun and moon ago. Up until now, their greatest interaction was an accidental meeting of gazes.

_Artwork by[Alerialblu](https://alerialblu.tumblr.com/)_

She could feel the demon stepping closer to her, the heat radiating off of him making her warmer than the sun ever could. A characteristic of Hell, perhaps. Bringing it with them, and so on. Demons were notorious for their love of fire, at least that was what Kagome had heard. She was a younger angel and hadn’t fought in the Great War. Many of her brothers and sisters told her it was a good thing, gentle smiles softening the blow of harsh words. Yet, standing beside a demon – one of the Fallen – she wished secretly that she had, if only to understand or to better prepare herself.

“Didn’t do anything,” he replied.

“I’m sure you didn’t.” It was a retort, although Kagome was a bit horrified by that fact. Being on earth was incredibly different than in Heaven. She wasn’t used to saying one thing and implying…well, the opposite. It was un-angelic, though impossibly human.

There was a snort, and then the demon’s dry voice floated over her. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

The older child was scowling, still sitting beside the young one who was banging the stick on the ground. At least they weren’t hitting each other. Kagome could still feel the demon beside her, his presence having a prickling effect on her human corporation. Had her wings been out, they would have almost curled around him, his proximity was that close. Her skin practically tingled.

Goodness, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Can’t you stand somewhere else?”

“Why?”

“We’re _enemies_. We shouldn’t be so close.”

“Who’s gonna tell?”

“I don’t know, _somebody_.” Kagome glanced up at the sky – clear and blue and oh-so sunny – and tried not to think about it in too much detail. Who, indeed.

“Why so nervous?”

“I’m not nervous, if anyone should be nervous it’s you!” What an assumption! Kagome roiled at the indignity of it all.

“What, you’re going to smite me?”

She heard a scoff, followed by the shuffling of feet. Closer, not further away. Kagome wanted to flee but doing so would mean letting the demon win and that was not allowed. No, she would stand her ground. “You ask a lot of questions,” she declared, lifting her chin. It didn’t do anything; Kagome wasn’t even looking at him. It was the principle, really.

The demon grunted. “What blessed else are we supposed to do?”

Looking back, Kagome was never sure what made her consider him. Maybe it was his tone, or maybe it was the curse that slithered into his question. Regardless, she did. Kagome looked to her left and took in the demon beside her: his long silver hair and the glint of his golden eyes in the sun. She could see a hint of a canine tooth protruding over his lip, barely parted, and when she looked down his long and deadly-sharp claws were wiggling, desperate for something to do.

He was as bored as she was. Not only that, but Kagome realized with a certain horror that the demon by her side was just as beautiful as she had thought when she first saw him those cycles ago on the other side of the field. The Accidental Gazing.

Dangerous thinking, that. Dangerous implications.

Despite Kagome’s wishes for better demonic understanding, she was strangely sure that even with all the knowledge in the world, nothing could have prepared her for _him_.

And then he looked at her, and those golden orbs stared at her with an intensity that rivaled the heat radiating from his body. He smirked, a cocky and dishonest thing. The urge to flee had never been stronger. “Are you always this nervous on assignment?”

Kagome frowned. “I told you I’m not nervous.”

The demon rolled his eyes. “Could have fooled me.”

“I’m not—” Huffing, the sharp exhale an internal reminder to keep her cool, Kagome bit down on several retorts that were rather unbecoming and chose her words carefully. “I’m considerate. You’re a demon and I’m an angel. You’re evil and I’m good. Should someone see us, my superiors would be merciful and understanding towards me. You, on the other hand, would be tortured or obliterated or whatever vile things demons do to other demons.”

Another snort, this one mixed with a burst of noise that sounded like _keh_.

“What was that?” she asked.

“You’re worried about me,” he sneered, making the statement sound like the vilest of offerings while he disregarded her question completely.

Kagome pressed her lips together and thought of a hundred different things to say that were terribly un-angelic. Just looking at him was riling her up, and talking to him? Even worse. She was an angel, trying to be kind to one of the Fallen but clearly engaging had been a mistake. She plastered on her most unaffected look and stared at the human children instead. They were both covered in dirt, holding their own sticks. Somehow the older child had gotten one while she wasn’t paying attention.

“Nothing to say?” the demon asked snidely.

“Not to _you_.”

Strange, the concept of time. Kagome had been brought into existence just before the creation of the stars – which was quite a long time before now – but standing there, on earth in the mud with a demon at her side… The wait for him to say something felt like an eternity. Kagome had never experienced torture. She figured this was it.

When the demon sighed, long and heavy and loud, Kagome nearly jumped and fluttered out her wings. “You’re going to be impossible, aren’t you?”

“I’m an _angel_ ,” Kagome reminded him sharply. “I am everything possible.”

The demon rolled his eyes. “Do you have a name?”

Kagome gave him the side-eye. “Why?”

“Because otherwise I’ll just call you ‘angel’ and that sounds stupid.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive.”

The demon growled, irritated, and Kagome couldn’t help but stare at him again. She had never heard a demon _growl_ before. She knew they did, theoretically speaking.

“Look, angel, I’m here to work just like you. I tempt, you bless, the humans exist. Whatever. It’s only going to get bigger so I figure we’ll stay out of each other’s way. Deal?”

“Deal?” Kagome asked, affronted. “Absolutely not! I thwart your wiles, you just said!”

“If you thwart every one of my wiles and I taint every one of your blessings then we’re going to be doing a whole lot of nothing and spending a whole lot of time together. Is that what you want?”

Kagome wasn’t yet used to her human corporation, but she figured the expression on her face was no longer indifferent, or even affronted. More like horrified. “But you’re a demon.”

“And you’re an angel,” he said, rolling his golden eyes. He grimaced at her. “It’s not like I want to be near you either.”

Kagome sniffed. “I’m a delight.”

“That’s the blessed problem,” Inuyasha spat.

“Stop using Heaven in _vain_.”

“Or what, angel?”

“Don’t call me ‘angel!’”

“Then tell me what to call you, idiot!”

“ _Kagome_.” Her name tumbled out of her mouth without her permission. It was gone though, forever lost to the moment. The demon beside her smirked and there was nothing holy about it.

“Inuyasha.” For a second, there was almost something predatory in the gleam of his eyes. Kagome reminded herself to hold her ground, to keep her chin lifted. No demon would ever get the better of her. “Well, angel, I truly hope to see you again _never_.”

“It’s Kagome,” she corrected, doing a double-take when she realized the demon was walking away from her, a slow backwards saunter so that his evil smirk would remain with her. It made her frown. “Say it with me: Ka-go-me!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Inuyasha insisted, before he blended into the crowd of humans.

It was the very first time that an angel, in the history of creation, had ever agreed with a demon. On several points, actually, but Kagome very firmly tried to only remember the one.

She hoped she never had to see him again either.

### KAGOME’S HOME, Year 2020

“This stupid, fucking dish,” Inuyasha hissed. He shut off the tap with his elbow and then tossed the sponge back into the soapy water. It splashed, big thick droplets landing on his skin-tight t-shirt. It only irritated him more.

“Swearing at it won’t make it clean any easier.” Kagome’s voice floated down the small set of stairs. She was changing into her night clothes: an oversized sweater, soft sweatpants and a pair of fuzzy slippers. The colours wouldn’t match but Inuyasha knew Kagome seemed to delight in it. She was more about wearing what felt good, at least in the comfort of her own home after a long day’s work.

Growling, Inuyasha took two steps back and narrowed his eyes at the droplets of water about to fall off of his wet hands. They wouldn’t dare do such a thing, as per his wishes, so they didn’t. With that taken care of, he looked up towards the familiar dressing screen. A green shirt was thrown over the top of it. “Swearing at it makes me feel better,” he stated. “And it _does_ make the dish clean easier. A little threat goes a long way.”

He couldn’t see her, but Inuyasha knew the angel was rolling her eyes. With no clever retort in sight, Inuyasha went back to the sink and glowered at the baked grease that refused to come off. He swiped at it once, twice, growled a little and then promptly gave up on being civil. He let the claws of his left hand elongate to their natural state and then picked at it until the stupid grease finally gave.

Fucking dishes. Every time.

“Get it?” Kagome asked from behind him.

Inuyasha spared her a glance – a burgundy sweater with hot pink stripes, black-spotted pants and blue-starred slippers – before putting the dish on the drying towel. “Eventually.”

“Don’t scratch my cooking ware,” the angel threatened, but it was about as serious as a kitten stalking a piece of yarn. “Red or white?”

“Don’t insult me,” Inuyasha grumbled, cleaning the last of the dirty dishes before emptying the sink.

“I found a perfectly delicious 1996 Chablis Les Clos in the cellar the other day. Don’t be a snob.”

“ _Red_ ,” Inuyasha argued, drawing out the vowel in the word so it sounded like a very forceful, very demonic whine.

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. “You’re the worst.”

“I’m a demon.”

It was a familiar argument and after knowing each other for six thousand years, it was something of an inside joke. Neither of them laughed, but neither of them fought, either. Inuyasha thought it was pretty handy.

Kagome brought down two wine glasses and opened what looked to be a decent vintage of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Inuyasha smirked, dried his hands and then went to flop down on her overstuffed, oversized couch. It was white, because of course it was.

“Lazy,” she chided, handing him the glass of red and taking up residence on the other side of the couch. Instead of his lazy sprawl, Kagome sat like a child in hiding, her knees curled up to her chest. Her long black hair was tied up into a messy bun, loose strands framing her pale face. She seemed perfectly happy breathing in the wine before tasting it.

“How did your class go today?”

Kagome startled a little, as if surprised by the question. She shouldn’t have been – Inuyasha always asked, he was a demon but he wasn’t _rude_ – but the delighted smile she beamed at him suggested it was worth it anyways. “It was nice. There’s this phenomenal woman in there who can bake literally anything and everything. She brought in cupcakes today that I swear were _to die for_.” She sighed at the memory. “I have no idea what she’s doing in my class.”

Inuyasha frowned in her general direction. His eyes were closed. “Wasn’t this some kind of pasta making deal?”

“Pasta shaping, yes,” she answered.

“Isn’t baking not the same as cooking?”

Kagome considered his question before shrugging. “I guess. I don’t remember, really, if the skills transfer. They must.”

“Must not if she’s taking your class,” Inuyasha growled out, a sort of lazy effort in conversation.

“And what about you? Have any fun today?”

The thought of his past week brought a smirk to his face. He’d been working on something perfectly demonic for the last little while and today his effort came to fruition. “I did, actually. You know that annoying actress with the red lips? The one with all the cleavage?”

Kagome glared at him. “You could describe her by things other than her physical attributes, you know. She’s worth more than that.”

Inuyasha shot her a perfectly unimpressed glare.

“But yes,” she sighed. “Yura. Yura _something._ There are too many celebrities now, I can’t remember all the names. Why, what did you do?”

He shrugged, but he couldn’t wipe the smirk off of his face even if he tried. “Might have encouraged her to join the thing.”

The angel’s eyes narrowed. “What thing?”

“The thing the kids are all on these days,” Inuyasha replied, waving his hand dismissively. Shit, the fucking wine was going to spill. He opened his eyes and took a large gulp. Sipping was for fools, minus Kagome. “TikTok.”

“But she’s a bit…set on herself, don’t you think? What would she even do?”

“Impart advice, mostly,” Inuyasha replied, unable to resist watching the angel’s face look more and more panicked. “Sing some inspiring songs by John Lennon. Do some dances. Aspirational quote of the day, that sort of thing.”

Kagome shuddered. “You _are_ evil.”

“Thank you,” Inuyasha replied gravely, raising his glass in a salute before downing the rest of it. He squinted at his glass again, willing it to be full. Looking over at Kagome, he pointed to her own. “Want a top up?”

Sighing, she held out her glass. “Why not? The Yuras of the world are reigning supreme.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Inuyasha replied easily, but he gave her more wine anyways. “Why? What blessed thing did you do, today?”

Just like that, the angel beamed. “Oh! I met the kindest old man—”

Inuyasha groaned. “Kagome, we’ve been over this—”

“No, he’s not like that!” she assured him quickly. “He didn’t look at my bottom once.”

“Uh-huh.” Inuyasha would have to see it to believe it. “And what did you do for this kind old man?”

Kagome, if anything, looked proud. “I gave him grandchildren.”

Sputtering wildly into his drink, Inuyasha needed a moment or two to recover. The immediate thought that had crowded his mind was absolutely impossible. Still, the angel had a way of saying things as if they were perfectly innocent. Inuyasha had a sneaking suspicion she knew very well what kinds of things she was insinuating, and did it to annoy him.

Kagome was an angel, but she was far from a saint.

“Oh, stop,” she chided. “You’ll spill wine onto my couch!”

“You can’t _say_ things like that,” Inuyasha growled. “And you did that on purpose!”

“I don’t know what you mean.” But she hid her expression in the bottom of her wine glass and Inuyasha was no fool.

“Uh-huh.”

Kagome smiled. “He was having lunch with his lovely daughter, who he introduced me to. She was having trouble conceiving, and was really upset about the whole thing. Poured her heart out, poor thing. It was heartbreaking, what else could I have done? So I just…nudged a few things.”

“Nudged?”

“Miracled.”

“Thought you were getting in trouble for too many of those.”

Kagome sniffed indelicately into her wine. “As the humans say, my boss can ‘suck it.’”

“I’ll let him know,” Inuyasha drawled, sarcasm dripping. Kagome didn’t seem to mind, for once.

After roughly six thousand years on earth, both Inuyasha and Kagome had learned a thing or two. Most of those things involved the ingenuity of the humans, and the human spirit. The things they had come up with in so little time, the _sciences_ , their expressions and emotions and all of it was something that neither Heaven nor Hell could have ever imagined. Not when they deposited Inuyasha and Kagome to earth with nothing more than a general instruction and cheery waves. Not now – _especially not now_ – when so much of the world was done not because of his temptations or Kagome’s blessings… But because they were human. And humans were fucking fickle things.

The only being Inuyasha imagined could have understood was Her, but Inuyasha hadn’t spoken to Her in a very, very long time. He eyed Kagome, curled up on the couch humming musically to herself, and wondered when the last time she spoke to the Almighty was.

“It’s good to see you.”

The statement jarred the demon from his thoughts, making his wine slosh dangerously around his glass again. He swore. “What?”

“Oh, sorry about that,” Kagome apologized.

“Fuck, no,” Inuyasha stumbled, his brain catching up with the conversation. She had said it was good to see him. _Him_. After three weeks apart, she was happy to see _him_. “I—Yeah, it’s—” Well, he couldn’t say _good_ , could he? He was a blessed demon, for fuck’s sake. He grunted, “Me too.”

In the back of his mind, he worried that all of his sputtering would make the angel lost. Instead, or maybe because of it, Kagome smiled and didn’t comment. She simply drank more wine and then held out her glass again, eyebrow arched.

“What, again?” he demanded.

“Like you said, I can’t do frivolous miracles.” She wiggled her glass and he groaned. “Inuyasha,” she whined, dragging out the sound of his name, and Inuyasha would save the world over and over and over again if it meant he’d always get to hear her say it.

“Fine,” he bitched. He would always do what the angel asked, no matter what it was. He couldn’t remember when that had become true, or even _why_ it had become true, but it had. Lifting his index finger, Inuyasha slowly raised it upwards while pointing at the glass, watching as red wine came from seemingly nowhere.

Kagome opened her mouth to say something – probably something terrible like how _nice_ he was – when something strange happened. Something that had never happened before, not since Kagome had moved into her home a good century ago.

There was a knock on the door.

### MESOPOTAMIA, 3897 B.C.

Inuyasha was a big, gigantic, fucking liar. He knew exactly when his brain had come up with the stupid plan to do whatever the angel asked of him, no matter what, and it was a long fucking time ago. Point blank, he refused to consider the true date but it lay somewhere between a year after they officially met and fifty years. Leaning a little closer to the former.

But only by a little.

Or a lot.

Again, Inuyasha refused to think about it.

The humans were building. They had been building before Inuyasha and Kagome had been sent to earth, but it seemed almost insane now. The structures grew stronger, multiplied, largened. It was like a miracle, though Inuyasha would be blessed to say those words out loud. Even since his first official encounter with the angel – with Kagome – he had managed to stay away. It should have been easy, and in truth it was. The humans were multiplying by the day, worse than the buildings, and with each rise of the sun it seemed like there were more of them to crowd around. 

It started to become uncomfortable, actually. Inuyasha hated crowds, despised the press of bodies against him, and while the humans were expanding it still seemed... Well, it was a lot. He couldn't make heads or tails of it, whether he was shocked of the tenacity of the beings or jealous. At least on earth, when more room was needed they could simply walk a little further, build a little larger. 

Hell didn't have the same option.

Inuyasha was in the heart of where the humans were staying, the path lined with people bartering goods. Children walked with jugs of water strapped to them, tied with rope, yipping along and encouraging the rest to keep up. One such child brushed against his leg and Inuyasha scowled, glaring down at the ground. It served two purposes: 1) if Hell was paying attention, it was absolutely a huge ‘fuck you’ and 2) it stopped him from glaring outright. He was finding, with every day that passed, that the humans were more interested in his features: the silver hair, the pointed, canine-like ears, the golden irises. It made some of the humans bold, wishing to talk to him and understand where he came from. For others, it terrified them.

On the one hand, good. Hell was in the business of inspiring fear, terror, and general unhappiness. On the other hand, bad. Hell needed him to tempt the humans and it was fucking hard to do so if they were running away from him. 

Maybe he needed to do something about his corporation. Blowing out a breath, Inuyasha spun around, thinking about heading back towards the river. Usually there were idiots splashing around, maybe he could encourage one to do something evil. Something... Well, something Hell would be pleased about. Inuyasha was good at improvisation, but that came with the gambit of being good at deceit and lying and all that other demonic crap. 

To the river, he would go. 

Inuyasha had taken only a few steps when a muffled yelp came from down one of the little alleys, a walking path between two makeshift shelters. He frowned, confused, before deciding that if he was lucky something bad was going on and then he could include it in his report. Another demonic trait was laziness. No one should have been surprised by that. 

Another yelp, but less scared and more confused. It was coming from behind one of the shelters so Inuyasha pushed along, wondering what exactly he'd be getting up to when--

"Oh!" The angel was standing there, surrounded by cats. Two of them were trying to climb up her legs, her skirt giving them just enough grip to do so moderately well. Kagome was ignoring all of them however, her dark brown eyes focused solely on him.

Inuyasha felt his mouth run dry and he had to lick his lips, wondering what in the Heavens that was about. “Uh—”

“It’s not what it looks like!” Kagome exclaimed, pasting on a smile that was clearly forced. She even waved her hands a little, like they would distract from all of the little felines surrounding her. There had to be at least twelve. What in the blessed shit was she doing?

Inuyasha couldn’t help but shoot her a baffled expression. “So you’re not…feeding the cats?”

Her nose scrunched up. It was ador— _abhorrent_. Definitely abhorrent. Inuyasha could practically see the wheels grinding in her mind, the line that creased between her brows as she considered her next words. Oh, _oh_ , was she going to _lie to him_? Inuyasha could feel his lips twitch upwards, against his better judgement.

Kagome saw. Of course she did. The angel frowned. “I am caring for all of Her creatures.” She said this like it was a commandment, sent to her by a bolt of lightning directly from the Almighty Herself.

Inuyasha snorted. “Uh-huh. You know, humans need the food.”

“Well then, why would—” Kagome flinched, that nose of her twitching again. If that was her tell of discomfort, Inuyasha was going to seriously _ruin her_. “It doesn’t matter because I traded for this portion. It’s my food and I’m distributing it.”

“Since you don’t eat food.”

“No.” Kagome made a face at that. “Why would I eat?”

Inuyasha shrugged. “For fun?”

“Fun?” Kagome had the gall to look confused. “We’re working!”

“Can’t work all the time, angel,” Inuyasha replied dryly.

“Kagome.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name,” the angel answered, sounding haughty. Oh, but she was _interesting_. “It’s Kagome. We’ve been through this, although as a demon you’re probably not the smartest.”

Inuyasha frowned. “The fuck would you say that for?”

“You Fell, didn’t you?” Kagome shut her mouth then, colour suffusing her cheeks within seconds. It was something that Inuyasha had only seen humans do before, usually when Inuyasha was tempting them into doing something humiliating or speaking of things that got them all hot and bothered. Humans were strange, but the fact that Kagome was… Blushing? Inuyasha looked at his own hands. Was that a thing his corporation could do, as well?

“Sorry.”

Blinking, Inuyasha looked back up at the angel, startled. “What?”

Kagome grimaced before kneeling down to the ground, the cats taking this as permission to do whatever they needed to get on top of her. One of them, he could see, bit at her fingers and the angel made that yelping noise again, like she couldn’t help it.

“It sounded like you apologized to me,” Inuyasha pressed, because he had to say something. This was insane. An angel, apologizing to a _demon_?

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Kagome stated, although there was no heat in her words. The blush was still there, covering her cheeks and seeping down her neck. Inuyasha wanted to pull that top aside and see just how far down it went. “But I am an angel, and I’m to be better than that.”

“You’re young, aren’t you?” The question couldn’t be helped. Inuyasha could see it now, almost couldn’t believe that he hadn’t spotted it before, even while standing across a field from one another. He hadn’t been using his proper sight, but then again, he only used it for special occasions or when he was feeling particularly lazy. It was so much simpler to spot the weakest ones, that way.

Kagome hesitated, but eventually nodded. Her gaze was firm though when they locked eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t smite you.”

“Sure.” Inuyasha waved a dismissive hand at her indignance; it wasn’t the point. “What I mean is that you’re not as uptight. Not so much of an asshole. You’ve got personality.”

He didn’t realize that it sounded like a compliment until Kagome – finally returning back to that porcelain, foreign shade – turned red all over again. Wow, he was so fucking _stupid_.

“Really?” she asked.

Inuyasha started smirk, ready to say something particularly cruel. It was demonic to get someone’s hopes up, only to dash them in mere seconds, wasn’t it? That would be fine. Expected, even. It was the angel’s fault for thinking that anything coming out of his mouth was particularly _kind_.

He was a demon. She shouldn’t forget it.

But then, before Inuyasha could open his stupid, _stupid_ mouth, the angel smiled. It wasn’t anything like the humans did. It was beaming, like the sun dimmed just so that Kagome could shine brighter. If Inuyasha didn’t know better, he’d swear that her wings were out, startlingly white and blessed, adding to it.

She was…

Inuyasha swallowed. She was radiant.

Oh, fuck fuck fuck _fuck fuck_.

If Kagome noticed his sudden silence, she didn’t comment on it. Probably because the blood in her human corporation was pulsing so hard and distracting her, whatever. Inuyasha didn’t care. He just needed to leave right that fucking instant because there was no way— No _goddamn fucking way_ —

“Actually, if you wouldn’t mind, can I ask you something?”

Inuyasha wanted to spit out something vicious, something cruel. No, no, no, _no_. It was immediate, training from Hell and because of it. You never said yes, not unless the Devil asked directly, or you’d end up tortured and blinded and screaming for days.

Kagome went on, seemingly oblivious to his internal panic or just accepting it as acquiescence. “I’ll be gone the next few weeks. Can you… Can you take care of them, while I’m gone? They were dying when I first saw the one and I would hate—”

No. No. Absolutely fucking not. No.

But Kagome looked up at him then, all dark imploring gaze with an expression so earnest it could only have been gifted by the Almighty Herself. Shit. Fuck. Motherfucking _fuck_.

“Fine,” he bit out, mostly in disbelief. He was actually agreeing to help her, _an angel_. Because she _looked at him_.

He was the worst demon in the world. The worst. And while a part of him knew that already, had known from the very first moments that he had crawled out of the sulfur pit burning and screaming, feeling like his body was being flayed alive—

Well, he knew. But Inuyasha didn’t want to exactly go around and _tell people_. Especially not the _enemy_.

And yet, when Kagome beamed at him again, all sunshine and cool breeze, Inuyasha could feel that self-loathing ebb away. Maybe it was a by-product of standing so close to an angel. Maybe it was just because he was, in fact, the worst demon in the history of all of Creation.

But it did go away, and Inuyasha did keep his mouth shut. He nodded again, hating himself a little for it. When Kagome stood up, he knew that she was about to leave. He couldn’t let her turn her back on him.

“Where are you going?” he spit out, words stumbling a little in his eagerness to stop her. Because if anyone was leaving first, it was him.

Kagome shot him an unimpressed look. “I’m not telling _you_.”

“You owe me then. For feeding the fucking cats.”

“I do _not_.” Kagome looked affronted.

Good. Inuyasha felt like this was more solid ground, something to work off of. “Do so.”

“Do not.”

“Do so.”

“You are _horrible_.”

“I’m a demon!” Inuyasha shouted, exasperated. “It’s in the job description.”

Kagome sniffed. “Are you going to feed the cats or not?”

“I never said I wouldn’t,” Inuyasha complained, “just that you’d owe me. What’s a little deal between enemies?”

“With a promise like that you could ask for _anything_ ,” Kagome argued, pulling herself up straighter. She was holding her ground, just like that very first time they spoke. Inuyasha tried not to find it so appealing. “Absolutely not.”

“Fine, then we’ll settle it now.” Inuyasha couldn’t believe he was doing this. He was an idiot. An utterly stupid fool. “When you come back, you need to tell me you’ve returned. Right away. Then, you won’t owe me anymore.”

Kagome frowned, but she didn’t yell or turn her back on him. She mostly seemed confused. “That’s it? You want to…see me?”

“What?” Oh dear motherfucking fuck, how could this get any worse? “ _No!_ No, where the Heavens did you get that?” Inuyasha snapped. “It’s—” Lie, lie, lie, _lie_. “It’s strategic. You’re my enemy. If I don’t know when you come back, how can I thwart your blessings? Maybe you just stay hidden forever and make my life twice as hard.” Inuyasha smirked, even went as far as leaning on one of the houses. Casualness, that’s what he needed to project here. “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “That’s a stupid idea.”

“And that sort of language is very un-angelic.”

The angel opened her mouth and then shut it again. For a moment, Inuyasha didn’t think that his little plan was going to work. He was ready to make a scene, to be as irritated and unhappy as he could manage and storm away. No matter what, he was not the one that was going to be left.

Finally, Kagome nodded. “Fine. You feed the cats while I’m gone and when I’m back, I’ll let you know right away. I’ll find you.”

Inuyasha felt his human body do something strange. His stomach felt weird, like it was somersaulting for shits and giggles. He twitched a finger and his corporation promptly stopped with all of that nonsense. “Fine.”

“Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

And with that, Inuyasha smirked and waved before sauntering back down the passageway. As far as tempting an angel into doing his bidding, it wasn’t all that hard.

Then again, he was doing hers so…

Inuyasha scowled and glared at the ground. He was the worst.


	2. A Divine Guest

### KAGOME’S HOME, Year 2020

In seconds, Kagome went from feeling pleasantly relaxed to sheer, unadulterated terror. There was no possible way this could have been happening.

Inuyasha, too, was no longer lounging on the couch like there wasn’t a single bone in his body. Instead, the demon was in a near-crouch, wine glass miracled away. The twin silver points of his ears were firmly locked on the front door, only a handful of footsteps away. Kagome had purchased the house mainly because of the style – a back-split, with everything very open concept. She lived alone so there was never a need for privacy or secrecy of any kind.

Now, however, she wished there was more to it. Somewhere they could disappear.

“Could anyone unexpectedly visit you?” Inuyasha asked. Kagome gave herself only a moment to feel her heart stutter-stop at the realization the demon didn’t suspect her of anything. They were hereditary enemies and yet Inuyasha knew without a doubt that she’d never put him in danger.

She licked her lips and gave his question the consideration it deserved. “Not a human, no. My wards would be far too strong in driving them away.”

“It’s not demonic,” Inuyasha stated, his stunning golden orbs narrowing at the entryway. “I’d know.”

“Damn,” Kagome muttered, flinching when Inuyasha snapped around to look at her so quickly he nearly fell off the couch. “What?”

“ _What?_ ” he hissed back, though he didn’t actually say.

This wasn’t the time, anyways.

Kagome headed towards the front door. The thick-stained glass was strangely clear, no shadow of a human standing outside. She paused, hand on the doorknob as she reached out to feel, to understand just who was there. “It’s…” She frowned. “It’s not angelic. I don’t even see anyone.”

“Maybe they left?” Inuyasha suggested.

“No, they’re right—” Opening the door, Kagome kept her free hand ready, braced for an attack that never came.

A small child stood before her, looking up shyly from big green eyes. “Hi Kagome,” he said carefully, her name sounding foreign on his tongue.

Within seconds, Inuyasha was there, shoving her back and behind him. She could feel the vibration of his chest, the growl subvocal but comforting anyways. Kagome always felt it, for some reason. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Hey! That is no way to speak to a child!”

Kagome peered around Inuyasha’s shoulder, unsurprised to see a human woman down at the sidewalk glaring up at all of them. She was walking her dog, and clearly the scene was strange enough that even her wards couldn’t turn her away. The woman was frowning, clearly unhappily, at Inuyasha.

“Shouldn’t you be answering that?” Inuyasha snapped back at her, lips curled in a snarl.

The angel sighed. Not this again.

The woman’s phone started ringing and even though none of them could hear what was being said on the other line, the woman’s hysterical screams afterwards were a dead giveaway. “My house! No, what happened? How is this—? Not my house!”

“Inuyasha,” Kagome hissed, stepping around him and poking him aggressively in the side. “Do _not_ tell me you burned this poor woman’s house down because she scolded you!”

Inuyasha made a face at her.

* * *

Two blocks over, on a house nestled in the corner lot, a tabby cat unhappily wailed on the grass. It was extremely confused. It had been lying in a nice patch of sunlight on the floor and then, unexpectedly…

Well, it was outside. On the grass. The cat hated grass, and he especially hated whatever it was that put him out here. The stupid dog had been taken for a walk so it was time to relax, for the first time in what felt like ages.

The cat took one step on the grass, and then another. Slowly, discontentedly, it made its way to the stone of the little pathway. Come Hell or high water, the cat would get _back inside_.

And then, in a blink, the cat was. He sneezed, startled, claws digging into the carpet. He was back inside, only a few steps away from his beloved patch of sunlight. The cat blinked and then shrugged, or as close to a shrug as a cat could get, before he laid back down.

If the cat had explored the house, he would have realized that nearly everything was the same as before. There were scratches on the trim, drips on kitchen cabinets that hadn’t been cleaned and a large dust bunny sitting in the corner of the office that no one had dared check on in a long time.

However, if you looked in the living room about two feet away from where the cat had returned, you would see a scorch mark in the otherwise white carpet. You would even – if you had a good nose – smell a little bit of burning and a tiny hint of sulphur.

It was fine though. The ugly green couch covered it, just like it covered a wine stain and a forgotten spoon.

* * *

“ _Inuyasha_.”

The demon rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t burn her house down,” he snapped, eyes landing on the kid who was smiling tremulously. “It was a prank call.”

Kagome sighed again and leaned out of the doorway as if she could catch sight of the human woman. She was long gone, having run off with her dog in her fit of hysterics. Inuyasha was not sorry in the least.

“It’s okay,” the kid said suddenly. “Inuyasha swears worse in my head.”

This didn’t make him feel better _at all_. “What the fuck,” he stated. It wasn’t a question. He checked again, trying to see if there was a celestial aura around the child. There wasn’t, so he was definitely human. Kind of off though, in a weird way he didn’t recognize.

“Please ignore Inuyasha,” Kagome requested gently, squatting down to be more level with the kid. “He’s just cranky. What’s your name?”

“Shippo,” the kid introduced, and his smile was a shy, tiny thing that Inuyasha didn’t trust for shit. His dimples were out in full force, nearly distracting from the freckles along his cheeks and nose, or the glittering of his green eyes. Inuyasha wasn’t fooled. Something wasn’t right.

“It’s nice to meet you, Shippo,” Kagome greeted. “Now, do you want to come inside? I think I have some water or milk, if you want.”

His lips trembled a little. “Do you have apple juice?”

She didn’t, Inuyasha knew, but the angel smiled anyways. “I do. Come on, let’s go get some.”

He followed them inside, slowly so to better watch the kid. Shippo took in the place with a sort of child’s fascination. His green eyes surveyed the room: the white couches and the big TV screen that was rarely used. The stacks of books on shelves filled with knickknacks from places all over the world. The beautiful kitchen, with shining appliances and an actual, honest-to-goodness cookie jar filled with cookies. Shippo struggled to get up on one of the barstools located at the kitchen island, but he managed to sit without falling. Inuyasha would even dare to say that the kid looked a bit proud.

Kagome was buried in her fridge, the door of it swinging back to close on her. She didn’t seem to mind, snapping her fingers and making a little noise of approval as the contents of the water jug changed. “Found some,” she declared, bringing it out and grabbing two cups. She almost grabbed three but Inuyasha glared that nonsense right out of her.

“Thank you,” Shippo said dutifully, taking his cup and having a long drink. Inuyasha tried to impress upon Kagome in that moment that something was _off_. Wrong. There was no way in Hell some human child could get past her wards.

Kagome, as usual, sniffed and ignored him.

Oh, the angel was out to kill him again. Every damnable _time_.

When the kid finished drinking, he put down his cup on the counter and _stared at it_. He stared at it and Inuyasha was an immortal being older than… Well, older than a lot of things, the earth and humanity being two of them. But he recognized that stare, the way someone hid behind a mask to shove down fear and sorrow. This was Inuyasha’s _wheelhouse_. This was what Inuyasha looked for in humans, the little cracks that he could pick at.

How the fuck did a child like this have a look like that already?

“Kagome,” Inuyasha started but Shippo smiled then, still tremulous. It was like at any moment the façade could crash, but he was trying anyways.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the kid said, and for some reason these words sounded just as practiced as his initial greeting at the door.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Kagome responded. She leaned forward on the counter, braced on her elbows to be as close to the kid as she could. Everything about her radiated calmness and tranquility. Inuyasha sneezed. “You said my name, earlier. How did you know it?”

“I’ve always known it,” Shippo replied, but his gaze was focused on the grey and glittering countertop. “You’ve always been…” He pointed to his temple. He was no longer smiling.

“Okay,” Kagome said gently. “That’s okay. Can I ask you another question?”

The kid swallowed, but Inuyasha could see the moment something flashed in his eyes, a kind of realization one got as they aged, as they learned the way of the world. His little spine straightened in the chair, serving to only make him look ridiculous as his tiny feet dangled off. Still, his voice was steady when he dropped the metaphorical bomb on them. “I know all of your questions,” Shippo said. He swallowed hard once more and blinked away what could have been tears. “No, I’m not lost. Yes, I was looking for your house. It was easy to find. I’ve seen it all my life. The house with the fox in the window. And… And I know you’re best friends with a demon but that’s okay, because you’re also his best friend. And I’m sad because my dad—”

Oh shit, the thing was crying. The kid was crying.

Inuyasha put his hands up, mouthing ‘ _not it’_ over and over while Kagome grimaced and fluttered her hands a moment, uselessly. Neither of them really dealt with children all that often. They were too…malleable. Any sort of temptation or blessing may or may not have any effect as they grew. It was largely a wasted effort, something that they decided in the year 1101 to never attempt again.

_Clearly_ a mistake now. Hindsight was a bitch.

“Hey, hey,” Kagome tried, and if her voice could get any gentler Inuyasha was pretty sure soft fuzzy things would poof into the air and rub against him. “It’s okay. You’re safe. We’re not mad, or unhappy. Or…” Kagome looked to him for help.

Inuyasha shrugged wildly. What the fuck was he going to suggest? “Mad?” he whispered.

“I already _said that_ ,” Kagome hissed before hugging the child and rubbing at his back. “It’s okay. I promise.”

That, at least, gave him an idea. Inuyasha crouched down, making sure that Shippo could see him before he said, “You said you know us, right? Well, then you know that when Kagome promises something, it’s unbreakable. There. Fixed. You’re okay.”

Kagome rolled her eyes at him, but Shippo actually laughed a little, a strangled sound that was almost more of a sob. It seemed to help him calm down though. The angel snapped her fingers and a tissue box appeared on the counter. She offered it to Shippo.

“There,” Kagome murmured quietly, her hand soothing through his red, fiery locks. “That’s better, yeah?”

Shippo nodded haltingly, blowing his nose. “I knew this was going to—to happen. I knew but I didn’t _want_ —” He cried a little again, face pressed into the tissue. “But I had to escape and in a minute they’ll be here and—”

“Wait, hold the fuck up,” Inuyasha cut in. He could feel his entire body tensing up, mind running with possibilities. Angels? Demons? Kagome’s house was warded to prevent anything from looking too closely but if they already _knew_ the location, there would be nothing to stop them.

Nothing to stop them from seeing the two of them together, in the same house.

Fuck.

Six thousand fucking years and a snotty-nosed brat with a crying problem was going to ruin it all.

“Who did you escape from?” Inuyasha demanded.

“The Thunder Brothers,” Shippo answered, voice small. “They—They took me from my dad because I know things and—” He hiccupped. “They want me back.”

“Thunder Brothers,” Kagome murmured, brow furrowed in thought. “I don’t know of them. Certainly not angelic.”

“Me either,” Inuyasha replied, shaking his head.

“You don’t,” Shippo stated, and the defeated slump of his shoulders made the words somehow harder to hear. “They’re human but they…believe in things.”

Kagome hugged him again, arms tightening briefly. “Humans can’t find this house.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pointed at the kid. The angel glared at him.

“They can. _Will_ ,” Shippo corrected. He sniffed and then lifted the bottom of his pants. Inuyasha hadn’t been paying any attention to his clothes – far more focused on everything else about him that seemed to disarm – but they were ratty, second-hand and barely kept together at the seams. They were well, well-worn. Too worn. Inuyasha frowned, noticing the stains absolutely everywhere, even on his shirt. A shining green light distracted him though, brought his golden eyes back down to the kid’s ankle. There, black and covered in grime, was some kind of bracelet, tight on Shippo’s leg.

“A tracker?” Kagome asked. The grim lines on her face suggested she knew the answer well enough. There was a burning blaze, Inuyasha could see, building behind those dark eyes. He hadn’t been witness to it very often, even knowing the angel for as long as he did.

That meant only one thing.

“I’m special,” Shippo whispered, tears back in his eyes.

With a flourish, Kagome’s hand flicked as if she was opening a sliding door. On the counter, a very large and very old bow rested. So, _that_ was where she was hiding it. Inuyasha pressed his lips together, hating the sight of it.

“Don’t you dare,” Kagome said loftily, in that prim tone that meant she was doing her best to remain angelic even as she threatened him.

“Forgive me for not liking this turn of events,” Inuyasha growled out, gesturing towards the weapon. “Last time I saw it, things were a little tense.”

The angel glared up at the Heavens – and only the Almighty knew what, exactly, was going through Kagome’s mind – but Inuyasha wasn’t deterred.

“I’ll handle it,” he stated.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, and Inuyasha would have felt gut-punched if he hadn’t prepared himself for that fiery gaze. Six thousand years. Six thousand years and it still got him every, single time. “This is my house.”

_You’re_ my _angel_ , Inuyasha stubbornly thought, locking his lips. Those words would never see the light of day. The Devil could torture him for millennia and Inuyasha wouldn’t budge.

But Kagome had always been far more preceptive than he. She had always seemed to understand him, even if the sentiment wasn’t exactly correct. Her face softened minutely, her hands still carding through the child’s hair as she considered. Every time this happened, Inuyasha’s stupid human heart would feel like it was in his throat. Like Kagome would figure it all the fuck out and then smite him, or _worse_.

“I’ll fucking handle it,” Inuyasha snapped again, fingers twitching with unease. He looked to the kid. “Where are they?”

“I don’t—” Shippo wiped at his face and clenched his little jaw. “They’ll be here soon. Very soon. There’s no—”

“Works for me,” he interrupted, letting his eyes flare a startling, demonic red. He truly wasn’t sure what the kid saw when he looked at him, but it didn’t matter. Not right at that instant.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Kagome reminded him but Inuyasha was already walking away, already storming out the front door.

Two humans stood on Kagome’s lawn, looking horribly confused and torn. One of them held a cell phone tightly in hand, their eyes studying it before staring at the house, eyes glazing over from the wards. Well then, the little brat was right.

“You,” Inuyasha growled, feet all but shaking the earth as he stalked forward. “Who are you?”

One of them looked utterly terrified, instantly taking a step back. The other stuttered, greedy and desperate, pushing out, “We’re looking for—”

But Inuyasha never let him finish that sentence, his hand shooting out to grab the human by the neck. He lifted him into the air, the man’s feet dangling as he gasped, scared.

Not scared enough. Not pissing himself terrified, thinking death was around the corner. That was what they deserved. That was what they got for coming and ruining his perfectly nice dinner with his angel and making his evening a little bit more like Hell.

And Inuyasha fucking _hated_ Hell.

With a snarl, Inuyasha let every bit of him shift: his teeth and claws elongating, his eyes burning red with purple irises. Coloured scars oozed from his face like they were being cut, right then and there, merciless and bloody. “You aren’t looking for anything,” he growled, making sure that every word held an emphasis that rattled in their little minds. “You will not ever touch the child and you will never, _ever_ come back here.”

The human that was not in his grasp fainted. Inuyasha would be pleased, but it felt too fucking good to let loose for a moment, and there was nothing ever pleased or happy or nice in this form. He threw the other human onto the lawn.

“Inuyasha!”

Like a switch being flipped, he was suddenly back. It was a strange way to describe it, considering Inuyasha had never left or went anywhere. Still, it was the only way to make sense of how her voice triggered him back, back to the same-old, same-old: a demon with golden irises and unmarked skin. Spinning around, he rolled his eyes at her, all for show. “Did you have to?”

Kagome sighed at him, gesturing to the world around them. For the first time, Inuyasha remembered that he was out in the middle of the street, at a perfectly normal walking hour. Anyone could have seen him.

“Oh.” How in the world was he going to play this off? Demons didn’t exactly go around saying _thanks_. He went back to his usual line. “Thwarting me again, are you?”

“Oh hush,” Kagome admonished. “And come inside.”

Inuyasha looked around for the so-called Thunder Brothers, noting that the only awake one was trying to slap the other back to consciousness. For Heaven’s sake, he just wanted them gone. With a snap of his fingers, the passed-out human woke up screaming and then, after much stumbling and swearing, the two were gone.

He smirked up at the angel. “You can’t say I’m not effective.”

“You’re something, alright,” Kagome answered, but there was a smile in her eyes. When he re-entered the house and came to the kitchen, the bow was long gone. The child still sat on the barstool; his teary green eyes focused on his lap. The ankle tracker was no longer on, something Kagome must have gotten rid of the moment Inuyasha stepped outside.

Kagome hesitated before reaching him, and Inuyasha could see the very second that her mind was made up. Angel or not, natural caregiver or not, she was going to do everything she could to make Shippo feel better. The very start of it was pouring him some more juice. “Here,” she murmured, pushing the cup into his hands. “Want to watch some TV for a bit? Unless you want…” Floundering, she gestured at Inuyasha to say something.

He shook his head. He’d definitely only make the child cry more.

Shippo didn’t seem to notice their struggle, or if he did, he didn’t point it out. Maybe that was something children simply didn’t notice in adults. The kid nodded though, struggling to get off the seat before dejectedly sitting on the couch. He looked absolutely miserable, and Inuyasha had seen some miserable humans in his life before.

Kagome waved at him to go downstairs, brown eyes wide and desperate. Inuyasha made a face at her but did as she asked, knowing she would follow behind just as soon as she had set Shippo up with the television. Goofy, high-pitched voices floated from it moments later. Some sort of cartoon, he imagined, and then there was Kagome’s soothing voice speaking to the kid in low tones.

Rubbing at his face, Inuyasha wondered how any of this could have happened. It was only supposed to be an easy evening. Some wine, some complaining, some bragging and they would spend the whole time on the couch. Kagome would get as drunk as him, but the wine always brought a flush to her cheeks, something that irritated her about her human corporation. As the night turned into the next day, darkness all around, the angel would start to slouch just like he was so that they were almost touching. In moments like that, Inuyasha forgot about everything. He forgot about Heaven and Hell, their respective duties. He forgot about the fact that he was never supposed to befriend the angel, was never supposed to talk to her for any longer than it took to thwart or disable her.

He forgot that they shouldn’t touch, or laugh, or do any of the things they would inevitably end up doing.

Inuyasha glared up at the ceiling, imagining that the strength of it would continue up and up and up, until She felt it. Until She knew. Inuyasha had expressed his grievances to Her a long time ago, _millennium ago_. She never answered. Inuyasha hadn’t honestly expected otherwise.

“What do we do?”

Kagome’s rushed words startled the demon from his thoughts, a little surprised to notice that the angel was already downstairs and by his side. She pushed at him to go deeper into the room where her second kitchen – because _of course_ she would have a second kitchen – sat. The basement, at least, was a lot more concealed than the upper floor. Inuyasha couldn’t see Shippo so unless the kid decided to snoop, he wouldn’t be able to see or hear them either.

Inuyasha snapped his fingers, the unfinished bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape appearing on the counter space with two clean wineglasses. He poured the drink by hand, giving himself a moment to deliberate. He didn’t know _what_ the fuck to think.

“Inuyasha,” the angel hissed. “I’m serious! What do we do?” She took the wine readily enough though, taking a very large sip that was very unlike her indeed.

It made his stomach clench, knowing that he had to say something. If only to help her. “We… I don’t know. Talk to the kid? Figure out why the fuck he’s here? Why the fuck he knows our names? Why the fuck he managed to get past your wards in the first place? Why those two assclowns were—”

“Yes, a lot of questions, _yes_ ,” Kagome replied, irritated. “But none of that helps the boy. He’s so young, Inuyasha. He’s – what? – maybe eight? His soul is still so new.”

“Is it, though?” Inuyasha questioned. He was unable to help himself from adding the lingering doubt he had into his words, testing. “Is his soul new? Because there’s something wrong with him.”

“ _Inuyasha_ —”

“Don’t condemn me like that, angel,” Inuyasha growled, lips curling. “You know it, too. His aura is off.”

“He’s human, though.” The words were a lot less heated than before, but Kagome had never backed down from him in the past. He didn’t expect it now, either. “We would know if he was one of ours.”

“Maybe he’s something different.”

“But he’s human! His soul is—He’s human. I’m not wrong.”

Inuyasha downed his wine and refilled his glass with a wave of his hand. “Alright then. What do you think we should do?”

For a long moment, the two of them were silent, stewing. With every second that ticked by, the angel seemed to wilt, shoulders sagging inwards until she was leaning on the counter for support. “Ask him questions, I guess,” she finally murmured. “He has to have parents, right?”

Inuyasha raised a brow at her. “You know that’s not always true. He cried when he mentioned his father.”

“We have to ask anyways.”

“Yeah.”

The angel stared into her empty wine glass, mulling something over. Inuyasha waited, knowing that sooner rather than later she would talk, would empty out whatever thoughts were taking space in her head. Kagome always preferred to think something through before speaking. It had made their little tête-à-têtes amusing because no matter what, the fast pace would trip her up and she’d say something un-angelic, or rude, or whatever it was she worried about.

“He’s…” Kagome licked her lips before continuing. “He’s so sad, Inuyasha. Sadder than a child should be. It’s this huge, gaping loss. I can feel it.”

Inuyasha sighed. “All we can do is ask and then figure out what’s best to do for him. We’re ethereal and occult beings. We can’t take care of him.”

“Obviously.” The words were sharp but that only meant Kagome had been considering that option already, and knew how wrong it was to do so. She would always be owned by Heaven, always in service to the Almighty and Her message. Child-raising wasn’t a part of that.

“So we go ask.”

Kagome stared at her glass for a moment more before putting it down, straightening her spine and rolling back her shoulders. Inuyasha couldn’t see her wings – well, he could if he tried, but the effort made it far from worth it. Still, he could almost imagine them, the way the white feathers would blind and spread and frame her. Proud, a bit too prim. She led the way upstairs, feigned relaxation taking her over as she approached the couch.

Shippo sat there, staring at the television without really watching it. Inuyasha could tell.

“Shippo?” Kagome asked, in the exact same tone as she used before. Gentle. Soothing. “Can we talk to you for a moment?”

The kid sniffled a little but nodded, sitting up a bit more like he knew exactly what kind of conversation it was.

“Do you mind if we ask you how you were able to find my house?” Kagome asked quietly, sitting down beside him with a foot of distance between them.

“It took some years, but after a lot of sleeps, I knew exactly where it was,” the kid explained, even though that was no explanation at all. “And then I could feel it, when I got close. And then I saw the fox.”

Inuyasha sat down on the table across from him. He didn’t bother to try for Kagome’s level of sweetness. “What do you mean? How did sleeping help?”

“Dreams.” Shippo stared at the couch cushion, fingers idly tracing invisible patterns. “About you. About Kagome. About a lot of things, but mostly you guys.”

Unable to stop himself, Inuyasha glanced Kagome’s way. “What are the dreams about?”

Shippo frowned. “Things that are going to happen.”

“Like the future?”

The kid nodded.

Kagome put her hand down, close to his leg. She didn’t touch him though, simply tried to be comforting in the only way she knew how, the only way she had seen humans do for years and years. “How did you know it was the future?”

“The ones not about you,” he answered. For a stubborn moment, it seemed like it was all he was going to say. He sniffled again. “They’d be about my mom or my dad. The dream. And then it would happen when I was awake, but later.”

“How much later?” Inuyasha interjected.

The kid shrugged. “Sometimes right away. Other times after a while, I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Kagome soothed. “So you saw us. Do you…know what we are?”

Not _who_ they are, Inuyasha thought, since that much was obvious. Shippo was some sort of seer, maybe, and he had proven to know their names from the moment he knocked on their door.

Shippo pointed to Kagome. “I told you before. You’re an angel. He’s a demon. You’re not supposed to be friends.” He smiled, but it was that small and tremulous thing from before, a little wobbly. “It’s okay though. I never told anyone.”

Kagome did a good job of hiding it, but Inuyasha could practically feel her gasp. Her angelic aura fluttered, fierce and protective and sad for the child. Inuyasha didn’t wince, but it was a near thing. He didn’t have to imagine the way that Kagome was already wondering how to make him better, how to make the child happy once more. This child that was protecting them by not sharing the secret, even though in doing so nothing would happen. No human would care. There were other demons and angels, of course, that occasionally visited but the chances were…low.

Still, Kagome was practically extending her wings around the brat.

Inuyasha held himself back from reacting, from growling out in jealousy. He was thousands and thousands of years old. He was not, and would not be, _jealous_.

“Why did those humans – the Thunder Brothers – put a tracker on you? Where are your parents?” The questions were said lightly, an attempt to be delicate.

Shippo visibly choked up, teary-eyed, but he answered in a wobbly voice. “The men took me when I was coming home from school. They heard… They knew about my dreams. My parents… They didn’t know they were real. They told people things I thought. They figured it out and took me.”

“And your parents?” Inuyasha questioned.

Kagome shot him a glare that he ignored. Shippo made a little sound of distress, shrugging helplessly. “Home,” he whispered tremulously. “They’re…” He shrugged again, like he didn’t know what else to do. Like it was the only thing he could do. “Home. Together.”

“Okay,” the angel murmured, finally closing the distance between them. Her hand went to his shoulder, soothing up and down his arm. “It’s okay.”

“Can you take me home?” Shippo asked brokenly. He didn’t hide his tears, and Inuyasha pressed his lips together for only a moment before willing a brand-new tissue box into his hands. He held it out, ignoring once again Kagome’s look. This one was softer than the one before.

“Of course we can take you home,” the angel replied. “Where do you live? We can bring you right away.”

Inuyasha sent her a sharp glance, assessing. She couldn’t mean snapping there; the miracle would be duly noted in her file to Heaven. Even Inuyasha couldn’t get away with it. How the fuck could he explain _reuniting a child with his parents_ as an evil act? Unless he was the Antichrist, that sort of thing would be seen as _helpful_ , and demons were never, ever helpful.

“It’s fine,” Kagome said, as if it was that simple. “I’ll deal with it.”

Inuyasha snorted but kept quiet.

“Can you tell me where you live?” Kagome asked. “What your address is, or your town?”

“In Lions Bay,” the kid answered automatically. “8764 Lions Bay Avenue.”

Inuyasha squinted for no particular reason, other than he was trying to think about where the blessed place was. It took him a moment to realize that it was on the opposite side of the country, a solid two days of driving, more with stops.

Never mind. Snapping was definitely the best option.

“That’s fine,” Kagome assured. “We can go there. I can take you right now.”

Shippo looked up at her, a sort of sad hope shining in his green eyes. Inuyasha frowned, unsure as he watched him. That didn’t seem…right. Not the right response.

“Right then,” the angel said. She smiled at Inuyasha before he could even say anything, her hand winding around the child’s shoulders. “I’ll be back momentarily.” She closed her eyes, took a breath, and then snapped her fingers.

Inuyasha blinked at her. Blinked again. She was still there.

To her credit, Kagome didn’t even have to open her eyes. She knew something was wrong, the curve of her lips descending. She shook her head and snapped her fingers again, sharper.

Nothing.

There was a stab of disappointment in the child’s eyes, disappointment that shouldn’t have been there. Even if he knew something was wrong… He should have been _confused_. Not disappointed. Not like he already knew.

Unless he did.

“It’s divine,” Inuyasha said slowly, leaning forward until he was in the kid’s space. “Whatever helps you to see, it’s divine.”

Shippo swallowed. “I didn’t know.”

“But you knew this wouldn’t work,” the demon pressed, eyes narrowing.

“I saw it—”

“In a dream.” Inuyasha scowled. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that.”

Kagome seemed utterly flummoxed, still staring at her fingers. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Divine intervention, angel,” Inuyasha reminded her. He hated how his voice was soft. He cleared his throat, lowering his gaze to the ground. “That means above our paygrade.”

“That doesn’t make _sense_ ,” Kagome insisted. “They would have told me. I would have known. If anything came from Her—If there was a new Creation upon the humans—”

“But he’s not new, is he?” Inuyasha growled and rubbed at his face. The pieces were all clicking together, old and fuzzy but punched in with enough effort. He was so over this, over the whole Great Plan, and he hadn’t been an angel since… Well, since before humanity, at least. “Can’t be. He’s a fucking Prophet.”

“A Prophet?” Kagome raked her dark gaze up and down the child, stunned. “He’s so young.” She frowned, a hand carding through his fiery red hair. “They still would have told me. It can’t be.”

“I am.” Shippo wrapped his arms around himself, legs already curled up tightly to his chest. The position was so familiar – so similar to Kagome, to earlier on that very couch, so child-like and small – that Inuyasha did a double-take. “It’s why I see things.”

“You couldn’t have said this _before_?” Inuyasha snarled. He stood up, pacing towards the kitchen before stomping back. Divine creation or not, he didn’t like leaving Kagome there to flounder by herself.

“Things have to happen a certain way,” the kid answered. In that moment, he sounded older than any eight year-old had in the entirety of the human race. His green eyes were fixed solemnly on the TV, unseeing. “And some things can’t be changed no matter what you do.”

He sniffled and Kagome sighed, hugging the child like it was natural. Like only fifteen minutes ago, she hadn’t been terrified of interacting with a kid. “It’s ineffable.”

“Oh _fuck_ ‘ineffable,’” Inuyasha snapped. “The _Plan_.”

“The Great Plan.”

“Fuck that, too.” The demon smirked, pleased with himself. It didn’t even dampen when Kagome turned her long-suffering gaze to him. “What? How long have we been on this earth? Shit, this isn’t even our first Prophet. There’s no Great Plan. Even if there is, it’s not happening yet.”

“He hasn’t come into his power fully,” Kagome argued. “There’s no way! A child? Inuyasha, this doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, he’s here. He’s in our house.” Inuyasha pointed at the ground and then winced. He hoped like Hell that she didn’t catch his slip-up. “So if there’s some big ineffable plan, then this has to be a part of it.”

Shippo twisted from his position on the couch, the better to look at him. “I don’t see—I don’t see far, I don’t think. But I have seen what happens next.”

Inuyasha waved out his hands, big and wide. “Then what, runt? What’s next?”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome scolded but Shippo didn’t seem to care or mind. Maybe he really was used to him thanks to the version of Inuyasha that lived inside of his head.

“You take me home.” Shippo sniffled into a small smile. “You and Kagome make sure I get home.”

**Author's Note:**

> **Feedback is love.**


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